Chapter Thirty-One: Agony

  Xiao Qing's culinary skills were indeed top-notch, and Xiaoyan, who had been living on dry rations for a long time, finally got to indulge in a hearty meal. He ate three bowls of rice before patting his belly contentedly. Seeing Xiaoyan eat so much, Xiao Qing was also extremely delighted.

  After dinner, Xia Yan had Xiao Qing fill the bathtub in his room with hot water. He was about to use the expensive medicine he had prepared for the first time to strengthen his body. This made Xia Yan excited since this afternoon, and he couldn't imagine what changes would happen to his body yet. However, the medicine configured by the old Holy Emperor should have a good effect, right?

  Lock the door, make all preparations, Xia Yan took out a delicate small porcelain bottle from his bosom, and slowly poured the medicine into the bathtub. The sound of 'drip drip' was particularly clear in Xia Yan's breathing.

  "This..."

  Xia Yan's eyes widened suddenly, because at this moment he saw that the water in the entire bathtub had changed to another color. The originally clear and steaming white water was now a deep blue-green color like a liquid paste. Xia Yan of course knew that this was the effect of the medicine, but this small bottle of medicine could actually dye two-thirds of the full bathtub's water such a deep color... This was too astonishing...

  Strengthen the body, toughen the spirit, refine martial skills, and merge with the Ling Luo Sword!

  Xia Yan muttered to himself in his heart, took off all the clothes on his body, and jumped into the bathtub. The hot air hit his body, making Xia Yan more excited than ever before. In the blue solution, only Xia Yan's head was exposed outside.

  At this time, Xia Yan could even feel that all the pores on his body were relaxed, and a kind of refreshing feeling made him unable to help but close his eyes and hum a sound.

  "It feels really good......" Xia Yan couldn't help but feel comfortable in her heart.

  "Right, the old emperor told me to circulate my heart method to absorb the medicinal effect, I mustn't forget!" Xia Yan's mind moved and he thought of the old emperor's reminder in the afternoon, so he quickly circulated the Ling Luo secret method.

  The inner force slowly wandered inside the body, and in all 108 meridians of the martial arts, there was a majestic inner force flowing vigorously. The meridians undulated with the flow of the inner force, emitting a low rumble like thunder.

  After a while, suddenly, the comfortable feeling that had just occurred underwent a huge change. Xia Yan's skin all over his body seemed to be burning, every inch of skin was like being roasted by scorching flames.

  Xia Yan's handsome face was red like a lantern!

  Sweat drops the size of beans rolled down Xia Yan's forehead, merging with the water in the bathtub. The corners of Xia Yan's eyes and skin violently twitched, as every part of his body ached, simultaneously surging into his brain, almost causing him to faint.

  "How could this be?" Xia Yan was shocked in his heart, he wanted to jump out of the bathtub, but thinking of the serious look on the old emperor's face when he spoke, if he jumped out at this time, would it not be a waste of all his previous efforts?

  Gritting his teeth fiercely, Xia Yan's mental formula in his mind did not stop rotating, and the physical pain made Xia Yan feel like he was going to die, but he still persisted.

  "I knew it, that damned old man didn't tell me it would hurt so much!" After a few breaths, Xia Yan's whole body started shaking violently, forcing himself to hold back his breath, and in his heart, he fiercely cursed.

  If the Holy Emperor had told him in advance that using the medicine would be painful, at least Xia Yan would have been prepared. But at that time, the Holy Emperor didn't mention it at all. And just as he was entering this medicinal liquid, it felt very comfortable, who would have thought it would suddenly become so unbearably painful? The contrast between before and after is too huge!

  Xia Yan's feeling at this time was as if he was no longer sitting in the bathtub, but rather sitting on the mouth of a volcano. The liquid surrounding his body was not medicinal solution, but rather fiery red magma.

  That pain that is transmitted to the brain at all times, it seems as if all the nerves in the body are about to break, but they don't really break. Xia Yan actually wanted his nerves to break, so he wouldn't feel this unbearable pain.

  Time passed for another incense stick, and at this moment, Xia Yan had gradually begun to adapt to the pain of his skin burning, and he could finally breathe a little easier. The tense nerves also began to relax slightly. But just as things were getting better, a heart-wrenching pain spread throughout his body again, and every muscle and bone in his body was in agony.

  Every muscle seemed to be torn apart by force, as if a pair of huge and irresistible palms were constantly kneading and tearing. The skeleton all over the body even made a cracking sound. That pain left Xia Yan without even the strength to stand up.

  Xia Yan's lips had already been bitten until they bled.

  "No..."

  Xia Yan felt like he was going to die, his consciousness gradually becoming blurry. However, he suddenly let out a loud shout, forcibly concentrating his spirit, and the heart method in his mind was still operating.

  "I won't die..."

  Xia Yan muttered a few words, his lips were pale and bloodless, and he was so weak that he didn't have any strength left. That kind of pain, if it were on an ordinary person, would probably have fainted a hundred or a thousand times, but Xia Yan still kept his head clear and continued to operate the heart method of the Ling Luo Secret Classic.

  Xia Yan didn't know that at this moment, the old Holy Emperor was not far from the bathtub, looking at him. The old Holy Emperor's aged face was also full of surprise and incredulity, shaking his head, with an expression of unbelief in his eyes.

  He didn't expect Xia Yan to still be holding on at this point.

  The Holy Emperor naturally knew the feeling of using this medicine for the first time, and he didn't mention it to Xia Yan in advance because he didn't want Xia Yan to be prepared. In fact, the Holy Emperor thought that Xia Yan would not be able to bear the unbearable pain and jump out of the bathtub, but even if that happened, it wouldn't matter, as having had the first experience, Xia Yan should be able to endure it the second time.

  But now, Xia Yan surprisingly didn't jump out.

  When he saw that Xia Yan actually persisted, his eyes almost bulged out. At the beginning, even he himself couldn't persist when he first used this medicine, and at that time his strength far exceeded Xia Yan's current strength.

  "This young man's willpower has reached an inhuman level!" The old Holy Emperor's body trembled slightly, shaking his head and muttering to himself. His facial expression was extremely complex.

  He spoke at this time, Xia Yan had already completely lost his hearing, even if he was shouting loudly in Xia Yan's ear, Xia Yan would not be able to hear it.

  "Heh heh, kid. Since you've persisted, tomorrow, you'll find that you've completed your first transformation." The old Holy Emperor's mouth curled up in a smile as his body gradually disappeared.

  It's also unclear how much time had passed, but the pain all over Xia Yan's body gradually subsided, and he slowly regained his physical senses.

  "Wow!"

  Xia Yan let out a deep breath and relaxed all over.

  "I just... didn't breathe for a while, did I? Don't know how long it's been. The old emperor said an hour..." Xia Yan opened his eyes and looked around his room, everything was as usual. On the table, only a short stub of red candle remained, still flickering with threads of red light.

  "It really hurts!" Xia Yan licked his lips, recalling the pain from just now, and his body involuntarily trembled.